Dallas County reports 789 coronavirus cases, 25 deaths; Tarrant adds 470 cases, 11 fatalities

Dallas County on Wednesday reported 25 more COVID-19 deaths and 789 new coronavirus cases.

The latest victims include 15 men and 10 women ranging from their 50s to their 90s. Six lived in Dallas, six in Mesquite, four in Irving, two each in Garland and Rowlett, and one each in Balch Springs, DeSoto, Duncanville, Grand Prairie and Lancaster.

All but two of the victims had underlying health conditions, and six lived in long-term care facilities.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that he hopes the cases are returning to a more “normal outlook” compared with last week, when numbers were tamped down by winter storms.

Of the new cases, 507 were confirmed and 282 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 278,494, including 243,847 confirmed and 34,647 probable. The death toll is 2,899.

Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period that ended Tuesday, 548 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 438 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 262,962 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 127,474 are fully vaccinated.

Jenkins also said the Fair Park vaccination site would continue to prioritize those who need second doses.

“Getting these second doses administered, along with our goal of vaccinating 3,000 persons per day using the Pfizer vaccines, will help us get closer to the overall goal of herd immunity,” he said.

Texas

Across the state, 7,517 more cases were reported Wednesday, including 7,000 new cases and 517 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 339 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 41,980.

Of the new cases, 4,991 were confirmed and 2,009 were probable. Of the older ones, 365 were confirmed and 152 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,613,792, including 2,264,763 confirmed and 349,029 probable.

There are 6,738 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 1,748 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Tuesday, 10.61% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients — below the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 13.54% as of Tuesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 5.16%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott has said a positivity rate above 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 3,198,527 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,489,259 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 470 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths Wednesday.

The latest victims include seven women and four men ranging from their 50s to older than 90.

Four victims were from Arlington, three from Fort Worth, and one each from Haltom City, Hurst, Keller and Watauga. All had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 314 were confirmed and 156 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 239,658, including 204,263 confirmed and 35,395 probable. The death toll is 2,805.

According to the county, 570 people are hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday.

According to the state, 201,213 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 115,888 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 438 coronavirus cases and six deaths to Collin County’s totals Wednesday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 300 were confirmed and 138 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 82,140, including 69,311 confirmed and 12,829 probable. The death toll is 703.

According to the county, 276 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 124,382 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 50,852 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 575 coronavirus cases and no deaths Wednesday.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 62,566, including 47,890 confirmed and 14,676 probable. The death toll held at 398.

According to the county, 124 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 87,730 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 32,739 are fully vaccinated.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.

The latest numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 10,399 cases (8,587 confirmed and 1,812 probable), 119 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 14,590 cases (12,507 confirmed and 2,083 probable), 213 deaths.
• Ellis County: 20,516 cases (17,814 confirmed and 2,702 probable), 270 deaths.
• Johnson County: 18,326 cases (15,904 confirmed and 2,422 probable), 311 deaths.